Indigenous Youth Make Invisible Worlds Visible

Indigenous Youth Make Invisible Worlds Visible

Our bodies are like radios, constantly receiving and transmitting signals + stories from the world around us. What happens when we bring these invisible worlds to life?

In this workshop, draw, animate and record that voices that speak through you with guidance and support from award winning video artist Lisa Birke. Together, we will bring these voices to life using a combination of traditional and digital techniques.

During the workshop, you will:

July 9: Brainstorm ideas and draw your spirit character

July 11: Build an animation rig in Photoshop and After Effects

July 13: Record a story, conversation, or other vocal expression

Completed projects will be shown as a part of “Different Ways,” the Featured Artist Exhibition for Digital Carnival: AIR, presented by Cinevolution Media Arts Society and Guest Curator Wynne Palmer in Richmond BC, from August 31 to September 1, 2018.

We wish to acknowledge the unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh and Səl̓ílwətaɬ Nations, upon which we are privileged to hold this workshop.

We gratefully acknowledge the generous funding and support from the BC Arts Council, City of Richmond, and Richmond World Festival, without which this project would not be possible.

// FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

I’m not a youth. Can I still participate?

Absolutely! While the workshop was designed with Indigenous youth ages 16-30 in mind, anyone who identifies as a member of an Indigenous community and has a story to share is welcome to register.

What if I can’t make it to all 3 sessions?

If you are interested in the workshop, but cannot attend all three sessions, we will work with you to either schedule an offsite session or organize the tools you need to complete your project remotely. Please contact Minah Lee at minah@cinevolutionmedia.com once you register so we can start making arrangements.

What if I don’t want you to show my work?

That’s completely okay. We respect everyone’s right to decide if, how, and when their stories are shared. If you would prefer to keep your project private, simply let us know, and we will not include it as part of the public exhibition. You can still take a copy home as a keepsake or to share with friends and family.

For additional questions about the workshop, please contact Minah Lee at minah@cinevolutionmedia.com.

// ABOUT THE ARTIST

Lisa Birke is an award winning Canadian experimental short film maker who situates between the traditions of painting, digital video and performance art. She has had solo exhibitions across Canada and her short films have been screened at film/video festivals and media centres internationally. Lisa examines notions of ‘self’ through the lens of gender, bringing the cultural tropes of woman into focus and into question. Revealing what lies beneath the surface of femininity, her work toys with a conclusion that is problematic, comi-tragic, and most essentially, human.

// ABOUT DIFFERENT WAYS

A collaboration between interdisciplinary artist Terrance Houleand video artist Lisa Birke, “Different Ways” invokes and reimagine the first encounter between European settlers and Indigenous Peoples, and fosters new dialogue about how we can find a path forward together.

Lisa and Terrance’s journey began at Flotilla 2017 at Confederation Landing Park in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Bringing the project to the opposite coast, this iteration of Different Ways will incorporate footage collected from Terrance’s family’s traditional territory outside of Calgary on the Bow, Ghost and Sheep Rivers, their first performance at Confederation Landing, as well as stories and imagery contributed by members of the Indigenous community. At once playful and profound, “Different Ways” opens the space for questioning and conversation around the complex relationship between Indigenous communities and settlers on this land.